Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: User Home Pages: The McGowan, O'Brien and Rai Families

The McGowan, O'Brien and Rai Families Updated February 7, 2009	msrjmr@msn.com
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The term ‘nationality’ seems to suggest a relatively simple matter and is usually defined by your passport. Whether born in the country of nationality, having gained citizenship, or adopted the nationality of parents, it is straightforward....or is it? The definition from Wikipedia, states that, “Nationality is the relationship between a person and their state of origin, culture, association, affiliation and / or loyalty”. So what happens if your mother’s direct descendants are of Portuguese birth, lived in India for a few centuries and along the way married / had relationships with people with descent from Burma, Philippines, Netherlands, France, Armenia, Germany, England, Scotland and / or Ireland, to name just a few? How then do you define ‘nationality’, as origin, culture, association, affiliation and / or loyalty. Those with these roots are currently known as Anglo-Indians and they are well versed to this 'nationality' dilemma. It was the Portuguese who first settled in India and encouraged relationships between Portuguese nationals and Indian nationals. The resultant offspring of these relationshops formed a large proportion of the relationships encouraged by the British in India. Until 1911, Anglo-Indians were universally known as Eurasians. For occupational purposes and as a point of differentiation from the Europeans and the Indians, they were designated Statutory Natives of India; while for the ‘defence of Empire purposes’, they were called European British Subjects. The Anglo-Indian community is the only Indian community that has its own representatives nominated to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) in India's Parliament. This right was secured from Nehru by Frank Anthony, the first and long time president of the All India Anglo-Indian Association. Article 366(2) of the Indian Constitution defines an Anglo-Indian as "a person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent but who is domiciled within the territory of India and is or was born within such territory of parents habitually resident therein and not established there for temporary purposes only" Interestingly, there is no mention in this article of the female and thus, it cannot be contested that to be Anglo-Indian means that there has to be a female of Indian origin within the lineage. The history of 'Eurasians' / 'Anglo Indians' in India does not give proper justice to their roots or their achievements, culture or identity and indeed, many of their roots have stemmed from privledged and hierarchical backgrounds. The work carried out in linking this particular 'multi-continent' Family Tree, is primarily as a result of one family member with over four decades of research and gained parental knowledge.

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